Azerbaijan, Baku, May 23 / Trend , E. Ismayilov/
SOCAR plans to complete the first phase of expansion of Garadagh underground gas holder, SOCAR First Vice President Khoshbakt Yusifzade said. About 1.4 billion cubic meters of gas will be injected to the gas holder compared to previous 500 million cubic meters at the first phase.
"We will obtain new compressors in October and injecting of gas will last by end of the year," Yusifzade said.
Gas-compressor station is being built to expand the gasholder as large number of wells in the gasholder complicates injection of gas in large volumes.
The capacity of the gasholder is expected to be increased up to 2.4 billion cubic meters in the second phase. The second phase will begin shortly after the first phase ends.
There are two underground gas holders in Azerbaijan - Garadagh and Kalmaz. The capacity of Kalmaz is 1.1 billion cubic meters.
The underground gasholder is used to store surplus gas in summer.
About 1.4 billion cubic meters of gas was injected to the underground gasholders in autumn and winter of 2008-2009.
Injection of gas into underground gas holder for the autumn-winter season of 2009-2010 has already begun. Daily volume of gas injection is about 6 to seven million cubic meters, head of Azerigaz (sale and distribution of gas in the country) Alikhan Melikov said earlier.